Scan documents with this chocolate bar-sized foldable camera

This article was taken from the September 2013 issue of
Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print
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Growing up in China, inventor Ji Shen had a notion to improve the lives of
teachers in his country's crowded schools: a machine that would
simplify the grading process. So he made a camera that hovered over
answer sheets and scanned data.

His grading software didn't make the grade, but the camera
concept turned out to be the forerunner of a raft of scanners, including this, the new HoverCam Mini 5, for Pathway
Innovations and Technologies, the San Diego-based company Ji
established three years ago.

Pathway, which has now sold hundreds of thousands of units
worldwide (it costs £299 for UK residents), bills the Mini 5 as the
smallest 5MP scanning camera -- it folds to the size of a Snickers
bar. John Miewald, marketing manager, explains: "Most things you
would do in a workplace you can do on the road, but scanning still
requires a large, flatbed scanner. This fits in your pocket, it
scans in a second and it doubles as a web cam." It can handle video
speeds of 20 fps at HD 720p resolution and 15 fps at 5MP
resolution. It also has an autofocusing CMOS sensor and lens module
giving clear, steady images.

HoverCam Mini 5

The scanner can also pivot for close-ups just a few centimetres from the subject

Rowan Fee

The main challenge was making this device work entirely through
USB, so no additional cables are needed. "The Mini 5 draws power
and exchanges data through a single USB 2," Miewald explains. "The
Hover-Cam then uses the processing power of your computer, rather
than doing it itself."